Page 61 of A Scottish Love Story
‘Do you think you will be able to pick out the Willowbrook animals we brought back with us?’ Ciaran asked with a grin.
‘I don’t know. I would like to think I still know the cows, though not the young calves. They will have grown a bit by now. I have a spare pair of jeans and a T-shirt.’
‘You can change in the downstairs cloakroom then,’ Roxie said with a grin, seeing how eager Harry was to go with Ciaran.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up helping with the milking,’ she said, when both Ciaran and Harry had gone to change. ‘The milking parlour is very similar to the one we had at Willowbrook, and I’ll bet he recognises at least three of the cows.’
‘Do you really think so?’ Tommy asked dubiously.
‘Yes, he cared for them like many people care for their pet dog. His interest was genuine.’
‘In spite of the extra money, he certainly hated working for that dealer and having strange cows coming and going all the time,’ said Tommy. ‘He stuck it because it was convenient and allowed him to be with his mother when she needed him. He had done a lot to their cottage and he tried to make everything comfortable for her. He has sold it now and got a far better price than he expected. Over the years he had built a staircase and put in two dormer windows upstairs, as well as a small bathroom with a roof light. They had a very large garden that had been his father’s pride and joy. That is what attracted the man whobought it. He is a GP and has joined the local doctors’ practice. He is engaged to the district nurse who has been very kind and caring with Harry’s mother, so she knew how much Harry had done to improve the house and that he intended to sell it and move away.’
‘He was lucky to get it sold with so little trouble,’ Roxie said.
‘I suppose so, but the nurse had lived in the same village all her life and her mother and Harry’s had been good friends when they were younger.’
Roxie nodded. ‘Ciaran says he will have to modernise one of his cottages before he gets a new stockman. He thinks it would be more convenient to have a stockman living close by, as they used to have when he was young. Billy preferred to live in the village where he grew up, but it is a few miles away so not so handy if there are cows to calve when Ciaran is away from home, or working in a distant field.’
‘You do seem really happy together,’ Tommy said. ‘You appear to have so much in common with your interest in the cows.’
‘We are very lucky,’ Roxie said with a happy sigh. ‘I never thought I would ever meet a man who shared my interests as Dad did.’
‘If you don’t mind,’ Maggie said, interrupting them. ‘I’d like to go to my bedroom, and have a little rest and change my clothes ready for this evening. I hope I shall fit in all right, Roxie,’ she added anxiously.
‘Oh, Maggie, of course you will fit in. You will love Ciaran’s mother. She is so homely and kind. She made me welcome from the moment I arrived. But you go and have a rest, and you’ll feel better after such a long journey. I can’t tell you what a lovely surprise it is to see you both, and Harry too. Ciaran never breathed a word to me. Amy must be in on this as she is preparing a buffet meal for us.’
When Maggie had gone upstairs, Tommy and Roxie were alone in the kitchen.
‘Ciaran invited Beth to come with us, but I couldn’t bring her,’ Tommy said a little glumly.
‘Is she too busy with the catering? I hope she will manage the wedding?’
‘She would have come this time and I know she is looking forward to coming to your wedding, but there will be a whole lot of our friends coming then. I didn’t feel she should come with only me and Maggie. Gilda has been trying every trick she can think of to blame me for the divorce proceedings.’
‘Surely she can’t do that when you’re not even the father of her baby!’
‘Money is all she wants. Her and her father,’ he said scornfully. ‘So, any excuse will do to pass the blame and make a claim. She tried to make out that Beth had been looking after me before we married and that we were still having an affair.’
‘But that’s ridiculous!’
‘She’s trying to make a big thing of Beth doing my shopping and providing meals for me. She invents all sorts of inferences and stories. Fortunately, the people at the petrol pumps, and other locals who have always known us, realise they are all lies, but it doesn’t mean to say a court would see things that way so we are being careful.’
‘I’m so sorry that’s happening, Tommy,’ she said. ‘I have always liked Beth and she used to hero-worship you when you were at school.’
‘I was an impulsive, blind fool,’ Tommy said bitterly. ‘I don’t know what I would have done without Beth’s help before Maggie came back. Dad was so right.’ He sighed. ‘Gilda is an evil woman. Hindsight would be wonderful if only we had it before instead of after.’
* * *
Harry Dunn was in his element helping Ciaran round up the cows and bring them in from the field. Ciaran had fitted him up with a waterproof smock when he realised he was keen to come into the parlour, too. It seemed natural to Harry to start washing the udders and putting on the milking machines as they chatted. He had recognised all but one of the six cows Ciaran had bought at the sale. At the end of the milking, Harry grinned happily.
‘I have enjoyed being back in a normal milking parlour and seeing each individual animal properly. I can’t tell you how much I hated the rotary parlour and seeing strange cows passing by me almost every day. Money is not everything, even though the dealer did pay us well. Can I come with you to the milking in the morning?’
‘Billy will be back to work tomorrow morning, or at least I am expecting him.’ Ciaran paused and took a deep breath. ‘I’ll tell you what, though, Harry, now I have seen you at work and I see you’re as keen as ever about the cows, I would give you a month’s trial if you want to give it a go. I can understand you might not want to move as far north as this, of course. I need to improve a cottage to provide accommodation, but I intend to do that anyway for whoever replaces Billy.’
‘I’m not bothered where I live, but I do want work I can enjoy and find some satisfaction in. The problem is, when would I be able to start? I have sold our house and the new owners would like to move as soon as I can move out.’
‘I’ll show you round everywhere tomorrow, including the cottage, and we’ll see what can be done. You could start work in two weeks, but I can’t promise to have a cottage ready by then. Maybe I could make it habitable, though. Billy is on a month’s notice, but he is due two weeks’ holiday and I know he will take them as part of his notice, if only to be awkward. He is not in the mood to put himself out these days.’
